Home education in Alberta By Judy Arnall Distance education Distance education includes all the programs that the government delivers through independent, charter, Catholic, francophone and public schools. It may include remote classroom learning, correspondence courses and virtual or “at-home” learning.
H
ome education in Alberta is a growing option in the buffet of choices. Education is no longer defined
children to preschools, but they are still in control of their children’s learning. As kindergarten age approaches, parents sign their youngsters up for school and
by where it takes place but by who
officially hand over their “authority” and
controls and is responsible for it: school
responsibility for their child’s education
or parent.
to a school, and by registering, the
Education is like driving a car. When parents have babies, toddlers and preschoolers, they are in the driver’s seat of their education. The kids are in the backseat. The passenger seat is a support
school becomes the “authority” over their learning. The parent moves from the driver’s seat into the support role of the passenger seat and the children are still in the backseat.
role filled by family and friends. Parents
There are only two ways to educate
decide what, when, where and how they
children at home in Alberta: distance
teach their little ones. In fact, everyone
education and home education.
home-educates their child from birth to
Distance education is the legal term
age five. The Alberta Government states
for school-controlled learning, and the
that parents are the primary decision-
teacher is in the driver’s seat. Home
makers of their children’s education and
education is the legal term for parent-
that parents control all aspects of it.
controlled learning, and the parent is in
Half of Canadian parents outsource their
the driver’s seat.
14 Alberta School Counsellor / Spring 2021
The school chooses the curriculum resources, teaches the approximately 1,400 targets per grade of the Alberta programs of study and assesses the child’s learning. They report the child’s progress through grades and report cards. The school teaches through synchronous or asynchronous online methods through a learning management system, or through correspondence booklets. Parents are in the passenger seat and support (and enforce) the work to be done and handed in. Consistent with the authority that has been assigned to the schools, the Education Act requires that only certified teachers may teach such programs. The advantage of distance education is uniformity and government vetted content.
Home education Home education is parent-controlled education. When parents decide to take back responsibility for their child’s education, they must legally “notify” the government through a school board or independent school, which will enable the parent to slide into the driver’s seat. Parents do not ask permission. The school associate then gets into the passenger seat and becomes the school “partner” to support the parent in providing a home education program
